By Capt. GEORGE TUNISON

If you’ve heard that redfishing is about over for the year, you’ve heard wrong. Although many bigger fish have headed offshore, there are still plenty of reds of all sizes to stretch your string. This week on back to back trips we caught several mostly over-slot fish with some real chunks mixed in, all caught while fishing the Burnt Store Bar, both south and north of the marina, up past Pirate Harbor.

The Burnt Store Bar is a great place to try especially if you like getting in the water with the fish. Shallow sandy flats mixed with grassy areas are stocked with trout, redfish and snook, made for the wading angler looking to sneak up on a lone gator trout or a pod of jumbo tailing reds eating their breakfast as the sun first rises.

Before heading out to give BSB a try, first take a look at your tide chart. Once you cross the very shallow bar along the east wall of Charlotte Harbor to fish the waters between the bar and shoreline and then the tide drops out, you’re probably going to be marooned there til the next tide, which, with your luck, will be several hours or tomorrow away, but great news for the millions of hungry no-see-ums presently roosting and resting in the mangroves 30 yards to your left waiting for dusk, and you.

Did I mention that if Sea-Tow can’t reach you they can’t tow you? Did I mention checking your tide chart first?

Not only is this area a top wade fishing or shoreline exploring spot, better news is you don’t need a boat to enjoy it. There is a small parking lot and legal access to the long path which leads to the edge of Charlotte Harbor and out to the bar. Travel north on Old Burnt Store Road then turn left on Caloosa Parkway, North. Turn right on Northwest 44th Place. The park is at the end of the road on the left. Please don’t litter.

This past week our redfish where caught on top-water plugs, gold spoons, Clouser Minnows, MirrOdine’s and one big guy on a largemouth bass buzz bait. What a vicious strike! The bass spinner-bait and buzz-bait are two productive redfish lures that aren’t very popular in Southwest Florida, but top producers in other redfish hot spots like Louisiana.

Local seatrout anglers are late-fall happy, as trout fishing gets better and better with the cooling weather, and for the first time in many years, trout can once again be on the menu. Be aware there is six fish vessel limit. Check the FWC website.

Fall in Southwest Florida means redfish to many while others wait for a chance at a drag burning kingfish. Break out the binoculars and look for working birds to guide you to the bait pods and the many species enjoying the feast. There is more than one way to fool a big kingfish but slow trolling big live baits around bait pods is always a dependable tactic. While the crew enjoys casting to a school of Spanish macs or bonito, make sure to have your big blue runner out for a swim behind the boat.

Crab trap floats and fall triple-tail fishing go together like peanut butter and jelly and the next one lurking under that float might be hand-sized or, as big as a trash can lid. One thing for sure, if you drift a lively shrimp back to one hanging in the shadows, you’re sure to start a fight with this odd looking, hard fighting and delicious on the plate fish. Smart fish like snook and grouper instinctively know to use available cover to break your line, the triple-tail likes to use the float rope to help escape. Immediately try to get the fish away from the rope and enjoy the fight and acrobatics in open water.

Stuff your catch with crab meat, bake and enjoy.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at 239-282-9434 or captgeorget3@aol.com.